AL FIN
2 GE 1 A P see LE U D CHE MS A X E
www.southerndigest.com
Tuesday . April 25, 2017
Volume 68 . Issue 10
Repairs & Replacements Board of Supervisors Meeting BY EDDIE BYNOG
SOUTHERN DIGEST - NEWS EDITOR
In its second meeting of the 2017 fall semester the Southern University Board of Supervisors tackled a host of improvements, new appointments and promotions sure to bring changes to the university in the coming months. One such improvement was to address the maintenance of the Southern University campus, particularly its crumbling infrastructure. According to a March 2016 article in The Advocate newspaper, the university has more than $111 million in deferred maintenance projects in its backlog. The move to address the concerns come after months and years of students battling with deficiencies created by aging buildings and broken
equipment. One such problem addressed at Friday’s board meeting was to vote on approved projects for FY 16-17. The Capital Outlay projects include five roofing, four mechanical HVAC, three central plant, two electrical and two Americans with Disabilities Act compliance projects totaling nearly $2 million. The repairs will help fix some long standing issues on campus including a leaking roof and broken AC in W.W. Stewart Hall, side walk repairs and upgrading various light fixtures in classrooms. Nine of the current projects are currently out for bid while another three have been completed. In the finance committee segment of the meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted to
approve self assessed fees that were passed by students in the 2017 spring elections. The fees included a renewal and increase to the Human Jukebox, the creation of a $10 fee for the office of Career Services and a renewal and increase for the athletic department. The increase in fees total $70 to students. While still in finance committee the B.O.S also approved an update to the policies and procedures governing the handling of cash, facility rental procedures, and facility rental fee schedules. When asked about building rentals being available to alumni organizations such as the federation and S.U. foundation, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, Flandus
DIGEST ART
See BOS MEETING page 3
African American Symposium: Honoring the Next Generation BY CHRISTINA WHITE
SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
The African American Symposium was held Tuesday, April 18, in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom. Present were honorees of SU Leads, under the leadership of Dr. Vaneshette Henderson, Executive Director of Student Achievement and Retention Services Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement, The Office of the Dean of Students, and the Division for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. The honorees were acknowledged for their hard work and dedication. Once nominated for the program, they were able to attend training designed to uncover their true selves, qualify them for opportunities in their chosen field of study, capitalize their strengths, develop their weaknesses and equip them with the leadership attributes necessary to excel at home and abroad. They will also be given the opportunity to travel to Italy and Greece. The current
www.southerndigest.com
Online petition devised for investigation of Southern University Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management BY BRIA GREMILLION
SOUTHERN DIGEST - MANAGING EDITOR
Courtesy/ Don Green
members of the program have already raised over $4,000 per student, by hosting raffle fundraisers, sponsoring their trip to Tokyo, Japan, where they will experience cultural and academic diversity as well as leadership roles. The honorees gathered on stage, where they took an oath to lead by example, serve their fellow man, exhibit
professionalism and inspire others. Also in attendance were guest speakers, each employed at several major corporations. David Christian, Regions Bank Senior Vice President in Tampa, Florida, spoke to the audience first, explaining the company’s goals and values. See SYMPOSIUM page 3
Due to concerns and accusations regarding the Division for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, a Change.org petition was created during the first week of April calling for an investigation of the division. With approximately 650 signatures to date, the petition was created under the alias, “Concerned Jaguars”. Upon further reading, the petition details that members of the alumni took part in its creation. It reads, “As an alum of such an august institution, the internal conflict at Southern serves as an insidious undercurrent that cripples the ability of our institution to survive. We refuse to be an idle spectators [sic] to the diminution, the subversion, and destruction of Southern University. This stance must be taken even in times that we seek to protect her from the people entrusted with her care.”
The petition goes on to state, “We must be the change that we wish to see to ensure that our university weathers the storm. As such it is our belief that the Division for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management should be immediately investigated by the board for mismanagement of funds, nepotism, a lack of management, a failure to keep a positive image of the university, bullying, censorship, and a consistent inability to manage student situations professionally.” The online petition was addressed to Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors, Ann Smith, and PresidentChancellor, Dr. Ray Belton. Smith responded to the petition by leaving a comment on Change.org, stating, “The Board is fully aware of the Petition and the number of alumni and students that have shown their support for it. Although the Petition appears to be the product of a specific group of
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
See PETITION page 3